Sourced from Vietnam Agency, Vietnam earned 2.5 billion USD from agro-forestry and aquatic exports in June, bringing the total export value for the first six months to nearly 13.7 billion USD, a year on year rise of 14.5 percent. The figures indicate that the sector’s six-month trade surplus has reached between 5.6-5.7 billion USD, helping to cut the country’s trade deficit. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said most export stables have maintained a satisfactory growth rate. In the first six months of this year, Vietnam shipped 3.7 million tonnes of rice, earning 1.7 billion USD. China has become the largest importer of Vietnamese rice...

Sourced from Vietnam Agency, Vietnam earned 2.5 billion USD from agro-forestry and aquatic exports in June, bringing the total export value for the first six months to nearly 13.7 billion USD, a year on year rise of 14.5 percent. The figures indicate that the sector’s six-month trade surplus has reached between 5.6-5.7 billion USD, helping to cut the country’s trade deficit. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said most export stables have maintained a satisfactory growth rate. In the first six months of this year, Vietnam shipped 3.7 million tonnes of rice, earning 1.7 billion USD. China has become the largest importer of Vietnamese rice, while Malaysia is the second biggest importer in this period, with an increase in import value of almost 20 percent over the same period last year. The country also exported 1.1 million tonnes of coffee during this period earning 2.3 billion USD, a substantial rise of 26.5 percent in volume and 20.4 percent in revenue. Germany and the US are the biggest importers of Vietnamese coffee, with a stable growth rate in both volume and value. Vietnam’s coffee exports to the Indonesian market have experienced a sudden rise, increasing by more than eight fold over the same period last year. A number of other agricultural products such as tea, pepper and cashew nuts also retain a stable growth in both volume and value. The nation exported 61,000 tonnes of tea, worth 86 million USD, up 13.7 percent in volume and 9.9 percent in value over the same period last year. Exports of cashew nuts reached 97,000 tonnes, making 666 million USD, a year on year increase of 41.2 percent in volume and 26.6 percent in value. Vietnam remains its top position among cashew exporters in the world, with its main markets the US, China and the Netherlands. The nation earned 2.2 billion USD from exporting timber and wooden products during this time, up 23.8 percent over the same period last year. Despite the continuing difficulties experienced by fisheries exports to EU markets, the total export value of this commodity in this year’s first six months reached 2.9 billion USD, 10 percent higher than last year’s figure. According to the General Department of Customs’ statistics, the country’s total export-import turnover from the beginning of the year to June 15 reached 97 billion USD, a 14.3 percent rise over the same period last year. Difficult to expect the export of citrus products Only grapefruit among four citrus (including grapefruits, oranges, mandarins, lemons) in the Mekong Delta are exported officially, the remaining fruits are shipped unofficially to Cambodia, China. According to Dr. Hoang Quoc Tuan - Institute of Southern Fruit, production of citrus in Vietnam accounts for only 1.63% of the world production. In contrast, these fruits in the Mekong Delta are very popular in the domestic market, especially the Da xanh grapefruit, Nam roi pomelo, Sanh orange. Therefore, Mr Tuan said it is not necessary to pay much attention to fruit export development. Instead, the domestic market is required to be invested. According to Dr. Hoang Quoc Tuan - Institute of Southern Fruit, production of citrus in Vietnam accounts for only 1.63% of the world production. In contrast, these fruits in the Mekong Delta are very popular in the domestic market, especially the Da xanh grapefruit, Nam roi pomelo, Sanh orange. Therefore, Mr Tuan said it is not necessary to pay much attention to fruit export development. Instead, the domestic market is required to be invested.